Mizo govt to send team to Champai for death of pigs

The Mizoram government will send a four-member Rapid Response Team (RRT) to Champhai bordering Myanmar tomorrow to assess the situation in view of reported deaths of pigs and piglets, an official said.
Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department Director Dr Saingura Sailo said that the team would be equipped with laboratory equipments as his department officials in Champhai district had reported that 16 pigs and piglets had died during the last two weeks due to unknown disease.
"The samples of sick swines have been brought to Aizawl and being tested at the College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry at Selesih near Aizawl, and the results are expected soon," he said.

He said that the results would clarify whether the cause of the deaths of swines in Champhai was the dreaded Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) or swine fever.
Meanwhile, Champhai Pig Owners Association claimed that at least 52 pigs have died during the period in the town and some more were sick.